


Sunshine Smile

by tatersalad5001



Series: D.D.R. - Different Dimension Reincarnation [2]
Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V, Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Duelling, Gen, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Strangers to Lovers, it's like.....imagine season one of vrains but yuya is there, it's not really enemies or friends to lovers it's like... reluctant teammates, post arc v!!! season one of vrains!!!!, yeah!!! that's the tag i needed!!!!!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2019-09-21
Packaged: 2020-05-07 17:52:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19214500
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tatersalad5001/pseuds/tatersalad5001
Summary: "You can try. But- Oh! You must be Playmaker, then." Supreme Zarc looked over at the duelist he was standing next to. "I've heard about you. Anyone who fights back against these low-lifes is trustworthy in my book."Playmaker breathed out a sigh. "Just don't get in my way."Sheesh. What was this guy's problem? He just wanted to help! There was no reason to be so prickly. In a way, though, Playmaker reminded him of Shay and Kite. Those two came around eventually. Surely Playmaker would as well.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Howdy! So, uh... Sometimes when I'm posting a fic and writing a tag for the relationship tags, ao3 suggests a ship I've never even considered before. This has happened three times recently, Yusaku/Yuya is the second one. And for the first two... after seeing the tag, I immediately began writing stuff in my head for it. (And eventually, I do want to get around writing the first one as well). So that's the origin story for this.
> 
> If you've ever read [Bacon Saver or Pendulum Reborn](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1008078), this is an AU of that whole series. If not, you shouldn't have to read them unless you want to. Just know that, uh, Link Vrains is a thing in this, and Action Duels take place in Vrains, not the real world. This is post-Arc V, and during season one of Vrains. As far as dueling goes, for Yuya, I wrote dueling without internet access, but I own a Master of Pendulum structure deck, so he's used that, but he won't necessarily stick with that during this whole thing. 
> 
> I'm currently on writing the fourth chapter of this (but it's been awhile, as this hasn't been a priority in writing projects), so don't worry about this only having the one. Future chapters should be longer, too. Some of the tags on here apply to those future chapters I haven't posted yet, so if you're wondering where certain characters that were mentioned are or anything...hold on to that thought. And, we'll be going by dub names here. The only exception up to this point I can think of is Zuzu's been changed to Yuzu, just because I like Yuzu but really don't like Zuzu. Declan Akaba I know will come up later, though, and I really prefer Reiji over Declan, so that'll be another one. If you remember Kurosaki Shun, his dub name is Shay Obsidian, and since I know he'll appear later and his dub name's a bit different, he'll be going by his dub name. Most of the differences between dub and sub names other than that of characters that have appeared shouldn't be as different, though, and if that changes later I'll say something.
> 
> Sorry for all that text for notes, but... thanks for sticking through it. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy! I've been really excited about Sunshine Smile, it's been really fun and I can't wait to see where it goes.

With a sigh, Supreme Zarc looked from the card he just drew to his opponent.

"I don't know what's up with you Knights of Hanoi people." Supreme Zarc put his hands on his hips. "But you keep attacking people, and clearly you have a problem with Vrains. Dueling isn't meant to be used as a weapon the way you people are using it. Dueling's supposed to make people smile. And since my job is to make people smile, that means I have to take you down."

"Bold words, for an Entertainment Duelist who has no idea what he's dealing with," the Knight of Hanoi across from him scoffed.

Supreme Zarc sighed. "Why don't we teach him a lesson, Odd-Eyes?"

Even as his Life Points dropped to zero, the Knight remained smug. "This is more than just a game to make people smile. So much more is at stake here. Someone who duels for such frivolous reasons as you do could never understand."

As the Knight of Hanoi logged out, Supreme Zarc rolled his eyes.

He only started seeing these Hanoi guys a few days ago. He had no idea how long they'd been lurking about, though. Whenever he saw them, they were attacking Vrains, attacking duelists, attacking people who were just there to watch. Nothing seemed safe from their wrath. They always attacked from different locations in Vrains, too. It was like they were searching for something. But what? Whatever it was, it seemed like they hadn't found it yet. He hoped people like them never found it.

It was like facing off against the Obelisk Force soldiers all over again.

When Supreme King Dragon Zarc was defeated, everything was different. It wasn’t just that they all were changed by their war against the Fusion Dimension. The world around them didn’t just split into four when the dragon was stopped, it was like they were sent to a whole new dimension entirely. Somewhere new where the four dimensions lived together in harmony, unseparated. A new place that already had places waiting for them to settle into when they arrived, as if they belonged there. Somewhere they could maybe live out their lives, and find the happiness and peace they’d fought for for so long.

A lot of it was so similar to the dimensions they all came from. The You Show Duel School had been waiting for them, New Domino (though it was just Domino here) was still split between the City and the Satellite, Duel Academy still taught students to duel. But there were differences here, too. Duel Academy was just a school for duelists here, not the center of a war. Heartland stood untouched by the attacks that had destroyed everything. And strangely, Solid Vision with Mass didn’t exist here, or at least, not yet. Duels here only used holograms.

But Action Duels still existed. There was a virtual reality world here known as Link Vrains that duelists could log into through their duel disks, where monsters had mass. That was where Action Duels took place. So it was inevitable that he would become an Entertainment Duelist in Vrains.

Zarc, once, had only wanted to make people happy, to make sure people enjoyed duels. By becoming Supreme Zarc in Vrains, he hoped in some way it would bring Zarc some peace, too. He owed Zarc that much, he supposed. Without Zarc, he wouldn’t exist at all.

Supreme Zarc shook himself out of his reminiscing. The Knights of Hanoi were gone, for now. It was getting late. He needed to log out, Mom would probably start to worry about him soon.

* * *

_We will become one._

Yuya’s eyes shot open. He scanned the area. Where were they? Where did they go? Were they going after someone else now, he had to stop them, and where was he anyway where it was so dark and...

This was his room. No one else was here. No one was after him or any of his friends. It was over. They were safe now. And it was dark because it was still late at night.

Another nightmare.

He was probably dreaming about this again because of all the chaos in Vrains lately.

No. Yuya didn’t want to think about this anymore. He was awake now. That was the new problem. He needed to sleep, but he felt so agitated that he wasn’t sure he could get back to sleep at all. But he had to try.

Rolling over onto his side, Yuya closed his eyes and desperately tried to focus on something else. Anything else, to help him find sleep again.

Apparently in Vrains, there was this summoning method called Link Summoning. It was new to Yuya still, he barely understood it. But...it was kind of XYZ summoning, without the monsters having to be the same level? He wasn’t sure he had that right. And he had no idea what the arrows were for.

But, they were somewhere new now, and his dueling had to keep evolving to keep up. Should he adapt and adopt Link Summoning as well, or stick to what he had? He wasn’t sure there were any Performapal Link Monsters at all, honestly, or anything that would work with Odd-Eyes...

After too long deliberating on it without ever deciding on an answer, sleep finally found Yuya again.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So!! Another point of clarification between the sub and dub names: Gong Strong's going by his sub name, Gongenzaka. 
> 
> Here we are!! Chapter 2!! People are starting to talk more and more about the Knights of Hanoi. And someone's getting more popular in Vrains! Duels! Action! Maybe not that much action. Either way, thanks for reading!! Hope you enjoy!!!!

Chatter buzzed around Yuya nonstop as he walked down the streets to the You Show Duel School. He couldn’t help but overhear some of it.

Everyone was talking about Vrains. It seemed to be a big thing here, Yuya couldn’t be too surprised by this point. He was a bit shocked, though, when the real topic seemed to be the Knights of Hanoi. The Knights hadn’t gathered much attention before, but it sounded like there’d been a more wide-scale attack this time.

It seemed he wasn’t the only one fighting back against Hanoi, either.

At school, Yuya slid into a seat next to Yugo.

“Well, Supreme Zarc, looks like someone else is stealing all your glory.” Yugo grinned at him.

Yuya laughed. “They can have it. As long as the Knights of Hanoi get taken down, I don’t care who everyone gives credit to. If someone else wants to fight against them, too, fine with me. I just want the peace we earned to last.”

“Right. The last thing we need is another invasion.” Yugo’s grin turned into a smile in record time. “Thank you, for not letting them tear families and friends apart.”

“Of course. I could never let this all happen all over again.”

They'd been lucky. No, to call it luck would be a disservice to everyone who helped them and supported them. Their friends never stopped fighting for them and helped hem stay strong. That's why Yuya and Yugo were able to be here today, as their own separate people, along with Yuto and Yuri. Yuzu, Serena, Rin, and Lulu came back to them, too. The boys weren't part of Zarc anymore, and the girls weren't reassembled into Ray. They were free. Friends and families were no longer separated.

Yuya was never going to let the pain he felt being apart from his parents, Yuzu, and Gogenzaka happen again. For them or for anyone else.

* * *

Inhale, then exhale. A breath of fresh air did wonders for clearing the mind. Did it matter if the air was virtual? Wait, no, he was getting off track with that thought.

Supreme Zarc walked through the crowds. Today he was off the clock, no big duels or events scheduled, yet he was here in the streets of Vrains anyway.

There was no way he could patrol Vrains and help keep it safe from Hanoi 24/7. Supreme Zarc knew he was guilty of being an idealist, but he'd been through more than enough to approach this realistically. Even ignoring the fact that he needed to sleep, Vrains needed him for an event coming up, there was school, his social life... He used to only have a couple of friends, and now he had more than he could count. No, staying logged in constantly was impossible. But he could do what he could with the free time he had. It wasn't much, but it made a difference.

The sound of a duel caught his ear. It sounded far off, not in one of the normal areas duelists gathered in. Could it be the Knights? Had they found a target already? Even if it was nothing, there was no time to waste. He had to check. Supreme Zarc changed his course sharply, nearly bumping into several other people as he ran towards the commotion.

As he got closer, his suspicions were confirmed. Two Knights of Hanoi were dueling, the two of them against just one other duelist. Ganging up on duelists like this just to stack the odds in their favor? How cowardly! the least he could do was make things fair.

"You Hanoi people really have sunk low, resorting to tactics like this."

_Intrustion penalty! 2,000 Life Points!_

Skidding to a stop next to the other duelist, Supreme Zarc barely noticed the shock from the penalty. Whether anyone liked it or not, he was a part of this Battlye Royale now.

"First Playmaker, and now Supreme Zarc?" One of the Knights laughed. "This must be our lucky day. We can take out two pests at once!"

"You can try. But- Oh! You must be Playmaker, then." Supreme Zarc looked over at the duelist he was standing next to. "I've heard about you. Anyone who fights back against these low-lifes is trustworthy in my book."

So, this was Playmaker. Playmaker looked to be about the same age as him, though this was virtual reality, so that didn't mean anything. In the real world, Playmaker could be younger or much older, or he might not be male. None of that mattered right then. Playmaker had been found dueling against Hanoi a few more times by now. He wasn't an Entertainment Duelist, but was gaining quite the following because he only duelied the Knights of Hanoi, and he never lost. Perfect and near-perfect win-rates as well as the mysterious hero type tended to draw people in, even when it didn't seem like Playmaker was trying to attract them. Since his own identity was a secret, some mystery surrounded Supreme Zarc as well, but his own win-rate wasn't nearly so high. Instead, for him it was about personality, persona, and performance.

Based on Playmaker's reputation, this might be Supreme Zarc's only chance to be in a duel with him. It would be fun to see Playmaker's strategies and personality up close.

"Why are you here?" Playmaker glanced back at him. His face betrayed no emotion, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Supreme Zarc grinned. "To protect everyone's smiles, of course!"

Playmaker actually rolled his eyes at that, but barely reacted otherwise. "I can handle this."

"So can I." Supreme Zarc's smile melted into a frown. "Since we can both beat these guys, it'll be faster if we work together, right? Besides, there's nothing wrong with accepting a little help."

"Fine." Playmaker breathed out a sigh. "Just don't get in my way."

Sheesh. What was this guy's problem? He just wanted to help! There was no reason to be so prickly. In a way, though, Playmaker reminded him of Shay and Kite. Those two came around eventually. Surely Playmaker would as well.

They still had to get past this duel first. Apparently, one of the Knights had been playing their turn when the duel had been interrupted. Finishing their turn didn't take them long.

Supreme Zarc scanned the field. Alright, this obviously wasn't a Speed Duel. No signs of any Action Cards, either. A regular duel was fine by him. Each of the Knights had a strong monster on their field. Playmaker had one as well. Up close, Supreme Zarc could easily identify it was a Link Monster. The others he was less sure about, he admittedly wasn't used to all this Link Monster stuff yet. Sure, he'd dueled against them often enough, but he wasn't exactly a dueling prodigy over here.

Everyone else had had their turns. Time for Supreme Zarc to take the stage. Focus.

With this hand, he might be able to provide some strong spport. More than strong, actually. But he was just a supporting actor here, arriving as late as he had. Playmaker was the lead, and while he didn't want to provide no help at all, the last thing he wanted was to step on Playmaker's toes. If Playmaker wanted him out of the way, he could deal the final blow.

"This duel's way too serious." Supreme Zarc rubbed the back of his hand against his forehead. "You're making me stressed, too. I'll have to do something about that. My turn!"

Looking at the card he just drew... Yeah, he could work with this.

"Ladies, gentlemen, and friends!" Supreme Zarc rose both his arms high in the air. "And anyone else out there, of course! I hope you don't mind being patient. The main event of this duel shall be led by my partner here." He swept one of his arms towards Playmaker. "But for now, I don't plan on slacking off in my turn, either. We'll make sure you're not bored until then!"

"'Partner'?" Playmaker asked himself quietly.

"First, I play the Spell: Sacred Sword of Seven Stars!" Supreme Zarc announced. "I banish Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast from my hand and draw two cards. Next, I summon Performapal Skullcrobat Joker. When I summon Skullcrobat Joker, I can add Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from my deck to my hand. Now the stage is set for the act you've been waiting for."

"Don't tell me he's going to do it again," one of the Knights complained, barely loud enough for him to hear.

"Using the Scale 1 Dragonpulse Magician and the Scale 8 Timegazer Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale." Supreme Zarc slid the cards into place across his duel disk. The two magicians rose into place in pillars of blue light on either side of him. "Swing, pendulum of the soul! Draw an arc of light across the ether! Pendulum Summon! Introducing, from my hand, Performapal Silver Claw, alongside one of Vrains' favorite dragons, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The two monsters swarmed onto his field in streaks of light, joining Skullcrobat Joker.

"So, this is what a Pendulum Summon looks like," Playmaker observed.

"Scary!" Another voice added, coming from Playmaker's duel disk. "Such strong monsters all summoned at once! I'd hate to get on this guy's bad side."

"Dragonpulse Magician's Pendulum Effect. By sending Performapal Trump Witch to the graveyard, I can destroy one of your monsters. I think I'll pick that one." Supreme Zarc pointed to his choice between their opponent's two monsters. Its owner panicked as it disappeared. The other monster was quickly taken out courtesy of Odd-Eyes and his effect, while Skullcrobat Joker and Silver Claw took sizable chunks out of their Life Points, though still leaving plenty to spare for the final act.

"I set one card face-down and end my turn." After setting Traptrix Trap Hole Nightmare, Supreme Zarc bowed. "I hope that was enough help. I leave the rest to you, Playmaker."

"That wasn't bad," Playmaker admitted.

"By my calculations, it wasn't the only effective move he could've made, either," that voice chimed in. "He's pretty versatile. Adaptable. He doesn't make for a bad ally."

"That's good for him," Playmaker responded. "There's no room for error in this duel."

The next turn went to one of the Knights. They put on an impressive show, making a strong recovery with a new monster on the field. However, the hype surrounding Playmaker wasn't for nothing. Playmaker took down both Knights on his turn, getting the last attack in with Flame Administrator.

"Now, tell me." Playmaker took a step forward, not even waiting for a moment once the duel was over. "What do you know about the incident ten years ago?"

"Incident? I have no idea what you're talking about!" One of the Knights winced. "We were really in over our heads on this one."

"Wait, hold on. What incident?" Supreme Zarc turned towards Playmaker, but was ignored. "Silent treatment. Okay, then, you two!" He pointed towards the Knights. "Running around Vrains, attacking innocent people... Duels aren't supposed to be tools for conflict and war. They're supposed to be fun, make people happy! I won't let you get away with this."

That got Playmaker's attention. It'd been awhile since Supreme Zarc had had such an icy glare directed at him. "If you're going to keep this up, then get your head out of the clouds. It doesn't matter what duels are supposed to be for. This stopped being about fun a long time ago."


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> haven't updated this since june...and now it's september...whoops! well, we're here now.
> 
> i don't remember if i intended this to be the full chapter 3, or if the next part was supposed to be part of the chapter as well...my memory sucks. but, regardless, the next chapter's here! i think this part's good enough to be on its own either way, so i'll keep it like this, whatever my previous intentions were. i still have a few parts of this i wrote out awhile ago that i haven't put up yet, so...time to get cracking on that, finally. i missed you, sunshine smile.
> 
> hope you enjoyed! thanks a lot for reading, i appreciate it!!

"I can't believe one of the most popular duelists in Vrains is such a jerk," Yuzu fumed, walking a few paces ahead. "Trying to turn down your help, then lecturing you like that? Who does he think he is, acting like he's so much better than everyone?"

"Well, I guess we don't know his full story." Yuya shrugged as he lagged behind. "There might be more to it than that."

"You're too nice, Yuya." Yuzu sighed. "He doesn't know your whole story, either, but clearly he's already made assumptions. But I suppose it's best not to stoop to his level."

"Well, with any luck, we can keep doing what we're doing on opposite sides of Vrains, so we won't have to keep putting up with each other." Something about him clearly rubbed Playmaker the wrong way. Yuya was willing to say the feeling was mutual. If they never teamed up again, he wouldn't be too torn up about it.

"Anyway, it looks like we're almost there." Yuzu pointed to the large school building looming in the distance. One of the schools not too far away from the You Show Duel School had a duel club that had asked their school to come in for a meeting. Apparently their school was one of the best here when it came to Action Duels -- not surprising, considering who founded it. It was just Yuya and Yuzu coming in to talk today, though. "Back to business. You've gone over the material, right? Different types of Action Cards and their uses?"

"Of course I have," he replied. "Who do you take me for? Besides, by now we're both experts on the subject."

"Just checking. We can't afford to both forget something. We have to look professional, keep a good impression. But since we both reviewed the material, we'll both be fine." Yuzu smiled at Yuya. “I need to use the bathroom first. You can go on ahead.”

“No problem. We’re meeting in the Duel Club meeting room, right?” Yuya recalled. “I can find my way there.”

Once Yuya reached the room, it was clear they were a bit early. No one else had shown up yet. Which was fine with him, better to be early than late, but he’a rather not wait on his own if he could help it.

Oh well.

While waiting in the empty room, Yuya reached into one of his pockets. After pulling out three small bouncy balls, he began to juggle.

And juggling was exactly what the first two students in the club to arrive found Yuya doing while they walked in.

“...And because his monsters were linked, they gained attack, and...” The first student to walk in was talking to the second, but the second student seemed to be doing his best to ignore the first. The first student trailed off as they both caught sight of Yuya. “...Uh, who are you?”

“Oh, hey! I’m Yuya.” Yuya kept juggling as he spoke. “Here from the You Show Duel School? Yuzu will be here soon, we’re here for the...”

“Yeah, we’re talking more about Action Duels today, sweet!!” The first student grinned. “I’m Shima, this is my buddy Yusaku. Your school specializes in Axtion Duels, right? So you must keep up with what’s happening in Vrains.”

“...You could say that,” Yuya replied.

“Then you must’ve heard about all the Knights of Hanoi sightings! And the duelists fighting back against them! Zarc’s pretty cool, but Playmaker’s definitely my favorite.” Shima pumped his fist into the air. “But since you study Action Duels, I want to know what you think of them.”

“Of Supreme Zarc and Playmaker?”

Yuya did his best to hide his automatic wince at the nickname ‘Zarc’. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard himself referred to as such, it was becoming more common. He wasn’t Zarc anymore, though. He was sort of digging his own grave with the username, but... He didn’t even get a chance to dwell on why he didn’t like it before Shima asked him his opinions on Supreme Zarc and Playmaker. That second curveball was enough to get him to lose control of his juggling. Two of the balls landed directly on his head.

“Whoa, are you okay??” Shima asked.

“I’m fine, I’m just...” Yuya laughed, rubbing the top of his head. “I’d forgotten I was juggling to be completely honest. But...you asked me about those guys?” The laughter died in his throat. “You’re certainly not the only Playmaker fan. Yugo seems to like him, too, but... Something about him rubs me the wrong way. He seems cold and prickly. I guess he’a not really an Entertainment Duelist the way the other big duelists in Vrain right now are, so it doesn’t matter as much. But he’s so serious, too, and dueling’s supposed to be fun.”

“What about the other one?” Yuya turned his head to face Yusaku, who was raising an eyebrow at him. Yusaku had been quiet up to now, and Yuya had assumed he was just tuning them out. He must’ve been listening the whole time. “From what I’ve heard Shima say, he’s pretty different from what you just described about Playmaker. Do you like him more?”

“Maybe? It’s hard to say.” It was hard for Yuya to give an honest opinion on himself compared to the other top duelists in Vrains. Especially after everything. He’d been the villain before, comparing himself to the heroes didn’t seem fair. But he could try, if mostly to maintain his cover. “It’s like he’s struggling with his own way of dueling. Something about his entertainment feels off, at least recently. Seems like he’s a bit pushy, too. He’s the opposite extreme, kinda.”

Yuya wasn’t running low on self-criticism. Ever since Duel Academy, ever since fully becoming Zarc, something about his dueling hadn’t felt quite right. You can’t improve as an entertainer if you can’t see where you need to improve, anyway, and while Yuya could see that much, it was the improvement part tripping him up.

Though, that was another problem for another day.

“If that’s the case...” Shima frowned. “Who’s your favorite Entertainment Duelist, anyway?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” Yuya smiled. “Yusho’s my favorite. I’m a bit biased on that, though, so while my opinion isn’t exactly objective, I’m not changing my mind on it anytime soon, either.”

Yusho had a hand in both the entertainment dueling and professional dueling worlds. He’d made a name for himself in both occupations, which was extremely uncommon. If Yuya didn’t already admire his dad for everything else he’d accomplished and for the person he already knew him as, he would from that.

“Huh, I see. Guess that makes sense.” Shima shrugged, then glanced over at Yusaku. “You’ll pick Playmaker as your favorite in solidarity with your best friend, though, right buddy?”

“Sure.” Yusaku was looking out the window, already appearing bored with the conversation again.

“Alright!” If Shima noticed, he didn’t appear bothered. In his excitement, he dabbed.

The rest of the club members filed in quickly, as did Yuzu. Pretty soon Yuzu was starting her spiel on Action Cards, with Yuya jumping in occasionally with specific details, like Action Traps, and that Action Cards could be used with effects such as Wonder Balloons.

He couldn’t help but notice that the entire time, Yusaku didn’t look at him or Yuzu once. Like he didn’t even want to be there.

**Author's Note:**

> hey, thanks a lot for reading! i hope you're enjoying it!! i'm not always good at replying to comments or anything like that, but please know i appreciate it lots.
> 
> if you're ever looking around for me, you can find me @ [datanamines on tungle](https://datanamines.tumblr.com), or i hang around discord a lot.


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